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Image of Jinlei Li

Jinlei Li, MD

Anesthesiology

Affiliated With: Yale Medicine

This doctor is not currently accepting new patients

This clinician is not accepting new patients at this time. If you are a current patient, please contact the office.

Locations

Yale Anesthesiology New Haven, CT 06510
Yale Anesthesiology Orange, CT 06477

Biography - Jinlei Li, MD

Jinlei Li, MD, is an anesthesiologist and the director of regional anesthesiology for the Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) Saint Raphael Campus. She is a staunch advocate for upper extremity, lower extremity, neck, chest and abdominal nerve blocks for surgical patients.

Nerve blocks are a form of anesthesia that has been increasingly effective in recent years, thanks to the precision of ultrasound guidance, says Dr. Li, who is a leader at Yale in improving pain control around surgery. To administer a nerve block, the anesthesiologist follows a picture on an ultrasound monitor while injecting a hair-thin needle into the affected area of the body, sending non-opioid pain medication to bathe the nerve or nerve bundles that will be affected by the surgery.

So, instead of the sensation of pain traveling along the nerve to the brain, “the brain isn’t getting that message,” Dr. Li says. The approach is becoming a key strategy for providing better post-surgery pain control while minimizing opioid use, which many doctors say contributes to the opioid addiction epidemic.

“If we can better control the acute pain (with a nerve block during surgery), this may ease the transition to chronic pain,” Dr. Li says, adding that the approach is also resulting in shorter hospital stays, easier rehabilitation after surgery, speedier recoveries, and none of the side effects associated with general anesthesia, which affects the entire body. “I had a 79-year-old woman in carotid surgery who received a nerve block instead of general anesthesia, which would have put her to sleep, and later she was smiling in the ICU," Dr. Li says.

An assistant professor of anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Li has done extensive research on peripheral nerve blocks with local anesthetic adjuvants. She continues to investigate ways to improve their use and effectiveness.

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Overview

Gender

Female

Specialty

Anesthesiology

Language(s)

English

Education & Training

Education

McGill University Faculty of Medicine

Residency

Yale University

Fellowship

Yale University

Does this provider accept my Insurance?

YES! This insurance is accepted.

Sorry This insurance may not be accepted.

Accepted Insurance

Please check for your insurance on the list below.

  • AETNA
  • ANTHEM BC/BS
  • CIGNA GATEKEEPER PRO
  • CIGNA HEALTHCARE
  • COMMUNITY CARE NETWORK
  • COMPWORKS
  • CONNECTICARE
  • CONSUMER HEALTH NETWORK
  • CORVEL
  • FIRST HEALTH NETWORK
  • FOCUS HEALTHCARE
  • GREAT WEST
  • HEALTHCARE VALUE MANAGEMENT
  • HUMANA
  • HUSKY
  • MANAGED COMP
  • MEDICAID
  • MEDICARE
  • MULTIPLAN
  • OXFORD HEALTH PLANS
  • PREFERRED HEALTH WORKS
  • PRIME HEALTH SERVICES
  • PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (PHCS)
  • TRICARE - HEALTH NET FEDERAL
  • TRICARE/CHAMPUS
  • UNITED HEALTHCARE
  • WELLCARE

Insurance coverage regularly changes, please contact the doctor’s office directly to verify that your specific insurance plan is accepted.

More About Accepted Insurance

Locations

Map View

20 York Street
Yale New Haven Hospital
New Haven, CT 06510

Phone: (203) 789-3538
Fax: () -

100 West Campus Dr.
Building 200
Orange, CT 06477

Phone: (203) 789-3538
Fax: () -

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